# exam.now (remote · exam.now)

Cambridge, AQA and Edexcel past papers: questions, figures and mark schemes by part, and marking.

- Trust score: 68/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- remote · `exam.now`: 68/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/now-exam-past-papers/exam.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/now-exam-past-papers/exam)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://exam.now/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.0.0`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-11-05.

- **Endpoint Security**: 63/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one.
  - HTTPS enforcement could not be verified: the plaintext port answered with HTTP 405, which proves neither a plaintext path nor enforcement.
  - HSTS check failed: the Strict-Transport-Security header is absent.
  - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 78/100
  - 100% of prompts and resources have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the item's name).
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 2009 tokens (~154/item across 13 items; 11 tools + 2 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 7/100
  - Stability observed for 2 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 92/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 77% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 11 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 13 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).
  - Supports UI / widget rendering.

## Install

### How do I install the exam.now MCP server?

exam.now is a hosted endpoint at https://exam.now/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http now-exam-past-papers 'https://exam.now/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "now-exam-past-papers": {
      "url": "https://exam.now/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "now-exam-past-papers": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://exam.now/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.now-exam-past-papers]
url = "https://exam.now/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "now-exam-past-papers": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://exam.now/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add now-exam-past-papers --url 'https://exam.now/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  now-exam-past-papers:
    url: "https://exam.now/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "now-exam-past-papers": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://exam.now/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add now-exam-past-papers -t streamable-http -u 'https://exam.now/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "now-exam-past-papers": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://exam.now/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-11-05 (score 68, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 3 to 7. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 1 days of observed history at the previous scan, 2 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-11-04 (score 67, 0)

- [security] Tool “find_past_paper” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_paper” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_question” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “topic_progress” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03
- [cosmetic] “mark_answer” reworded the description of “working”

### 2026-11-03 (score 67)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (11)

### `find_past_paper` (~276 tokens)

Find a past paper

Find Cambridge, AQA or Edexcel past papers on exam.now from a free-text query such as "0580 june 2024 paper 4" or from structured fields. Returns up to 10 papers with their exam.now paper_id, title, session, duration, total marks, whether exam.now can show it on screen to answer (answer_on_screen, with the parts that need a graph or drawing and so can only be answered there), and links to the question paper, insert, mark scheme and examiner report where they exist. Use the paper_id with get_question, get_mark_scheme or get_paper.

Input parameters:

- `board` (string)
- `limit` (integer)
- `paper` (integer)
- `qualification` (string): e.g. "IGCSE", "O Level", "A Level", "GCSE".
- `query` (string): Free text, e.g. "0625 w23 42" or "igcse physics november 2023 paper 4".
- `series` (string): Exam series.
- `subject_code` (string): Syllabus or specification code, e.g. 0580, 0625, 9709, 8300 or 1MA1.
- `variant` (integer)
- `year` (integer)

### `get_question` (~223 tokens)

Get a question

The text of one question or part from an exam.now past paper: context, prompt, marks, figures (with alt text), the answer surface (response kinds, tools, whether a calculator is allowed), topic codes and a link to the part on exam.now. answer.onSite is true when the part needs a graph or drawing, so it can only be answered on exam.now; otherwise the student can type the answer in chat and mark_answer marks it. Pass question for the whole question or part for one part.

Input parameters:

- `include_images` (boolean): Attach small figures as image content as well as URLs.
- `paper_id` (string, required): exam.now paper id from find_past_paper, e.g. 0580_s24_42 (syllabus code, series letter s/w/m and two-digit year, component).
- `part` (string): Part id as the paper numbers it, e.g. "3", "3(a)" or "3(a)(i)".
- `question` (string): Question number, e.g. "3".

### `get_mark_scheme` (~170 tokens)

Get a mark scheme

The official mark-scheme rows for one part of an exam.now past paper: each row's code (M1, A1, B1…), marks, answer, guidance and alternatives, the part's maximum marks, the paper's general marking principles, the mark-scheme PDF page and a link to it on exam.now.

Input parameters:

- `include_principles` (boolean): Include the paper's general marking principles.
- `paper_id` (string, required): exam.now paper id from find_past_paper, e.g. 0580_s24_42 (syllabus code, series letter s/w/m and two-digit year, component).
- `part` (string, required): Part id as the paper numbers it, e.g. "3", "3(a)" or "3(a)(i)".

### `get_paper` (~199 tokens)

Get a whole paper

An exam.now past paper as structured JSON (metadata, questions, parts, prompts, marks, answer kinds, figure URLs), a few questions at a time. Each part's answer.onSite is true when it needs a graph or drawing and can only be answered on exam.now; the other parts can be typed in chat for mark_answer. Use next_from to get the next page. include_mark_scheme adds the mark-scheme rows for the same questions and needs a linked exam.now account (a free one is fine).

Input parameters:

- `count` (integer): How many questions to return.
- `from_question` (integer): First question to return (1-based position in the paper).
- `include_mark_scheme` (boolean)
- `paper_id` (string, required): exam.now paper id from find_past_paper, e.g. 0580_s24_42 (syllabus code, series letter s/w/m and two-digit year, component).

### `find_questions_by_topic` (~130 tokens)

Find questions by topic

Past-paper questions on exam.now tagged with a syllabus topic, newest first. Pass the topic code (e.g. E2.5) or words (e.g. "simultaneous equations"). Returns question references with the start of each prompt, marks, whether it has a figure, and a link to the question.

Input parameters:

- `limit` (integer)
- `subject_code` (string, required): Syllabus or specification code, e.g. 0580, 0625, 9709, 8300 or 1MA1.
- `topic` (string, required): Topic code or words.

### `practise_question` (~148 tokens)

Practise a question

Show one past-paper question as a practice card the student can answer, with its figures and answer surface. The model gets the full question so it can give hints without giving the answer away. Use mark_answer to mark the student's answer.

Input parameters:

- `paper_id` (string, required): exam.now paper id from find_past_paper, e.g. 0580_s24_42 (syllabus code, series letter s/w/m and two-digit year, component).
- `part` (string): Part id as the paper numbers it, e.g. "3", "3(a)" or "3(a)(i)".
- `question` (string): Question number, e.g. "3".

### `mark_answer` (~201 tokens)

Mark an answer

Mark a student's answer to one part against the official mark scheme with exam.now's marker. Returns marks awarded and available, the mark-scheme rows earned and missed, feedback and a common-mistake link, and saves the mark to the student's exam.now progress. Needs a linked exam.now account with marking.

Input parameters:

- `answer` (string, required): The student's final answer, as they wrote it.
- `paper_id` (string, required): exam.now paper id from find_past_paper, e.g. 0580_s24_42 (syllabus code, series letter s/w/m and two-digit year, component).
- `part` (string, required): Part id as the paper numbers it, e.g. "3", "3(a)" or "3(a)(i)".
- `working` (string): The student's working, as they wrote it. Send it whenever they showed any: without it the marker judges the final answer only and can't give method marks.

### `topic_progress` (~113 tokens)

Topic progress

The linked student's own progress in one subject on exam.now: each syllabus topic's band (secure, getting there, not yet), the next three topics to work on (weak topics first, then topics with too few marks to band and untried topics that are ready to start, each with a reason) and links to practise them.

Input parameters:

- `subject_code` (string, required): Syllabus or specification code, e.g. 0580, 0625, 9709, 8300 or 1MA1.

### `exam_timetable` (~81 tokens)

Exam timetable

Cambridge exam dates for one or more syllabuses in the June or November 2026 series: component, date, morning or afternoon session and duration, with a link to the exam.now timetable. Zone defaults to the UK timetable.

Input parameters:

- `series` (string, required)
- `subject_codes` (array, required)
- `zone` (string): Cambridge administrative zone.

### `common_mistakes` (~119 tokens)

Common mistakes

Up to 5 exam.now write-ups of common mistakes in a subject, drawn from Cambridge examiner reports, each with a short summary and a link. Narrow them with a topic code or words.

Input parameters:

- `query` (string): Words to match, e.g. "bounds".
- `subject_code` (string, required): Syllabus or specification code, e.g. 0580, 0625, 9709, 8300 or 1MA1.
- `topic` (string): Topic code, e.g. E1.10.

### `class_summary` (~105 tokens)

Class summary

For a teacher's own exam.now class: topic bands across the class with no pupil names, and how many pupils have started. Small groups are suppressed to protect pupils' privacy.

Input parameters:

- `class_id` (string): The class id from exam.now. Leave it out for the teacher's own class.
- `subject_code` (string, required): Syllabus or specification code, e.g. 0580, 0625, 9709, 8300 or 1MA1.

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/now-exam-past-papers/exam#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 68
- 2026-11-04: 67
- 2026-11-03: 67

## Common questions

### What is the exam.now MCP server?

exam.now is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as now.exam/past-papers. Cambridge, AQA and Edexcel past papers: questions, figures and mark schemes by part, and marking. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://exam.now/mcp).

### Is the exam.now MCP server safe to use?

exam.now scores 68 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the exam.now MCP server expose?

exam.now exposes 11 tools: find_past_paper, get_question, get_mark_scheme, get_paper, find_questions_by_topic, and 6 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,765 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the exam.now MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to exam.now without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the exam.now MCP server still maintained?

exam.now is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 5 November 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://exam.now/mcp
- Website: https://exam.now/help/mcp/
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/now-exam-past-papers/exam.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/now-exam-past-papers/exam.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/now-exam-past-papers/exam